I suppose almost every series has their share of early season weirdness, but DS9 seemed to have less than most. Just try not to judge the show based off of the tenth episode. 
Is DS9 worth binging?
- Thread starter TechnoGoose
- Start date
I did binge it, and it's a pretty awful experience. There is way too much filler. If this show aired today, it would be 13 episodes max a season.
You can find binge lists online to get through it without watching a lot of filler. That's what I would recommend the first time through. Then go back and watch filler episodes that interest you.
And you would lose the majority of what makes DS9 so good by cutting 50% out of the series. Especially in the later seasons, the writers made great use of every one of the 26 episodes a year to fill out the characters and deepen the relationships between them.
Indeed, while DISCO occasionally stretched plot points to the point of excess, I think the show's shorter seasons were one of its weakest points, because it inhibited the writing of "filler episodes" that would have allowed the show to focus more on character growth and development rather than simply using the characters to service the plot. This might have been less of an issue if the show hadn't adopted the seasonal "big bad" format, but having those two factors in play simultaneously, to me, was a misstep.
What filler episodes? DS9 was all about character. Almost every episode challenged them. Only some episodes like Fascination and Who Mourns For Morn could be considered filler.
There is no filler (beyond the need to come up with 26 stories per year).
But there are many episodes that tell stories that do not contribute to the season arc.
I don't know why standalone stories should be thrown in a bin marked "filler" especially with DS9, where some of the strongest episodes could theoretically be skipped if one only cared about plot mechanics.
But fair warning, if you are the kind of viewer who wants to race only through the episodes that connect directly to each other, it might not be the show for you.
That said, to each their own.
P.S. That's not to say that there aren't weak (or awful) episodes. But that's not the same thing, IMO.
But there are many episodes that tell stories that do not contribute to the season arc.
I don't know why standalone stories should be thrown in a bin marked "filler" especially with DS9, where some of the strongest episodes could theoretically be skipped if one only cared about plot mechanics.
But fair warning, if you are the kind of viewer who wants to race only through the episodes that connect directly to each other, it might not be the show for you.
That said, to each their own.
P.S. That's not to say that there aren't weak (or awful) episodes. But that's not the same thing, IMO.
Hey, I liked Who Mourns for Morn! You don't think Morn's character was worth developing a little bit? You never wondered how this guy can sit in Quark's every open hour and never run out of latinum?
The story of DS9 is Sisko regaining his life and leading a people into the future. It's the story of a fighter adjusting to life outside of war and seeing the humanity of her enemies. It's a lost soul finding a family and a people who are responsible for tyranny. It's the story of a former gardener learning to sew. Etc. Etc. Etc.
What are the "filler episodes?" What is the "season arc?"
What are the "filler episodes?" What is the "season arc?"
Doing that strategy will rob a viewer of all the nuances, layers, character growth, and all the little things that make the universe of DS9 feel real and lived in.
I daresay DS9 would NOT function as a 13 episode series. There's just too much contained within the series that would get lost and it would be truncated so drastically that it would be a completely different, and worse, show. The flavor would be lost.
It was divisive at the time. To a small extent, it still is.
It’s a great show. Possibly the best of all of them or at least a strong contender.
Is it worth binging? Definitely is. Although perhaps not in the way modern streaming shows lend themselves to be binged in a relatively short period of time. Not in the way that every episode ends with a cliffhanger making you want to watch the next episode right away. It’s a very episodic show from the 90s with a few overarching stories that are told throughout the show. But it’s not like today, where one episode is like the chapter of a book.
To be honest, I sometimes think the serialized aspect of Deep Space Nine gets a little over-blown by people. You definitely notice it because Trek (and most of primetime television) just wasn’t doing serialized storytelling in the 90s, and so it sets itself apart that way. But that aspect is nowhere near as integral to the show as some people make it out to be. Where Deep Space Nine excels, in my opinion, is the individual episodes. The strength of the writing, a stellar cast of actors and characters that in almost any combination make for gripping television, and some surprisingly deep themes are what make the show so good.
Also keep in mind, while the show certainly has the status of the “Red-headed Stepchild” of Trek shows among the viewership at large, the Trek BBS has traditionally been a place where the show is hailed as the absolute best. In the past it regularly got voted the most beloved show on this board. So while it’s true that the show may a bit divisive out there in the real world, on here there’s tons of folks who think it’s the best (even though even here it certainly has its detractors as well). And I must say I'm personally one of those people who think it’s the best.
This is now the second time in the last few weeks that truncated “watch lists” have come up and I must say I'm personally super weirded out by the concept. Has the idea of just sitting down and watching a show, taking in the good and the bad, become such a foreign idea? Do we all have such little time that we need ways to speedrun through entertainment? I gotta say, you really rob yourself of the full experience if you’re only going to watch supposed “highlight” episodes, because I’m convinced that many of even them are only this good because you were in it for the entire experience, picking up little bits of character and info from episodes that are branded as “filler”. This is not to say there aren’t stinkers in this show, but even those often contain absolute gems of character moments and stuff like that.
To be honest, I sometimes think the serialized aspect of Deep Space Nine gets a little over-blown by people. You definitely notice it because Trek (and most of primetime television) just wasn’t doing serialized storytelling in the 90s, and so it sets itself apart that way. But that aspect is nowhere near as integral to the show as some people make it out to be. Where Deep Space Nine excels, in my opinion, is the individual episodes. The strength of the writing, a stellar cast of actors and characters that in almost any combination make for gripping television, and some surprisingly deep themes are what make the show so good.
Also keep in mind, while the show certainly has the status of the “Red-headed Stepchild” of Trek shows among the viewership at large, the Trek BBS has traditionally been a place where the show is hailed as the absolute best. In the past it regularly got voted the most beloved show on this board. So while it’s true that the show may a bit divisive out there in the real world, on here there’s tons of folks who think it’s the best (even though even here it certainly has its detractors as well). And I must say I'm personally one of those people who think it’s the best.
This is now the second time in the last few weeks that truncated “watch lists” have come up and I must say I'm personally super weirded out by the concept. Has the idea of just sitting down and watching a show, taking in the good and the bad, become such a foreign idea? Do we all have such little time that we need ways to speedrun through entertainment? I gotta say, you really rob yourself of the full experience if you’re only going to watch supposed “highlight” episodes, because I’m convinced that many of even them are only this good because you were in it for the entire experience, picking up little bits of character and info from episodes that are branded as “filler”. This is not to say there aren’t stinkers in this show, but even those often contain absolute gems of character moments and stuff like that.
I have no problem with watch lists per se. Star Trek series during the Berman era had lots of flavors and lots of themes, bolstered by the 26-episode season. I don't think that it's a problem to want to watch only certain types: the comedies, the best acting, the evolution of the Emissary, the Cardsssian re-evaluation of its past, eg. An essential watch list can be successful so long as it is understood to be cutting out a lot of good stuff and actually provides a taste of everything DS9 provides. Certainly, the show was not built around sudden shifts and big surprises: one doesn't need to worry about being "spoiled," and DS9 loses no aesthetic value or enjoyment by knowing what is going to happen.
On the other hand, cutting out huge numbers of episodes doesn't make the series better. Sure, a few cringy episodes cut would make for a better watch, a Let He Who Is Without Sin or Resurrection. Any abridgement is necessarily reductive. Making it look more like a contemporary serialized show doesn't get to the gist of DS9 and provides no sense of what its value is. DS9 isn't one story, nor is it three or four stories that we see a little of in each episode. It isn’t season-long arcs or grand narratives.
I generally feel people should watch how they want, and they are probably smart enough to fill in the gaps in their understanding by looking things up on the internet. Get what you want out of the show, but realize you might be losing something.
On the other hand, cutting out huge numbers of episodes doesn't make the series better. Sure, a few cringy episodes cut would make for a better watch, a Let He Who Is Without Sin or Resurrection. Any abridgement is necessarily reductive. Making it look more like a contemporary serialized show doesn't get to the gist of DS9 and provides no sense of what its value is. DS9 isn't one story, nor is it three or four stories that we see a little of in each episode. It isn’t season-long arcs or grand narratives.
I generally feel people should watch how they want, and they are probably smart enough to fill in the gaps in their understanding by looking things up on the internet. Get what you want out of the show, but realize you might be losing something.
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My thoughts are you're either watching a show or you're not. Period.
I admit that before I started my Re-Watch Thread, I hadn't been involved with DS9 Fandom since the Turn of the Milennium, so I don't know for sure, but I have to wonder how many people looking for watch lists ever actually watched everything on the Watch List?
"How can I cut this down?" comes across to me as, "How can I watch the show without really watching it?" And then do they stick to what they cut it down to? At best, it's an impatient, "I have to see this for myself! What can I skip so I can get to what everyone says is so great?"
I admit that before I started my Re-Watch Thread, I hadn't been involved with DS9 Fandom since the Turn of the Milennium, so I don't know for sure, but I have to wonder how many people looking for watch lists ever actually watched everything on the Watch List?
"How can I cut this down?" comes across to me as, "How can I watch the show without really watching it?" And then do they stick to what they cut it down to? At best, it's an impatient, "I have to see this for myself! What can I skip so I can get to what everyone says is so great?"
It seems so, yes. I see requests for watch lists on things like Clone Wars, Deep Space Nine, and the like around the Internet.
The other day my student told me she’d finished watching three seasons of Squid Game in three days.
I was amazed until she told me she fast-forwarded through most of it to get to ‘good’ bits.
I think it’s a horrifying way to consume entertainment.
I was amazed until she told me she fast-forwarded through most of it to get to ‘good’ bits.
I think it’s a horrifying way to consume entertainment.
Have to fit in though.
DonIago is right about one thing: watching Let He Who Is Without Sin is a small price to pay to be in on all the jokes we make about the series. So, @TechnoGoose , you will learn to live with it. Because you can live with it.
You can live with it.
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